Rail-stay.



J. M. VAIL.

RAIL STAY.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 23, 1913.

1,074,667. Patented 0013.7,1913.

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JOSEPH M. 'VAIL, or BRYAN, oH'Io.

' BAIL-STAY.

Specification of Letters Patent. "Application filed May 23, 1913.

Patented Oct. '7, 1913. Serial N 0. 769,379.

To all whom it may concern; 7

Be it known that I, JOSEPH M. VAIL, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Bryan, in the county of Williams and State of Ohio, have invented a certain new and useful Rail-Stay;

and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the characters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification. i

Thisinvention relates to devices adapted for use in conjunction with railway rails and the supporting'ties therefor to prevent "a relative creeping of the rails and ties, but is not restricted to such use, as it may be used in any connection for which it may be adapted or appropriate. 7

The object of my invention is the provision of a one-piece device of this character which is simple and inexpensive in its construction and capable of being easily and i a rail base without the. other retaining means, therefrom, and which is automaticallyoperable'to firmly clamp the movement of the rail in 1 associated sup-- quickly applied to use of bolts or and also removed rail upon a creeping one direction relative to an porting tie, whereby the. rail and tie are caused to have creeping movements together. The invention is fully described in the following specification, and while, in its broader aspect, it iscapable of embodiment in numerous forms, a preferred embodiment thereof is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which,

Figure l is a plan View of portions of a rail and supporting tie therefor equipped with my invention, andFi-g. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of the device.

Referring tothe drawings, 1 designates a railway tie, and 2 a rail supported thereby, to the base of which a device. comprising the invention is clamped. This devicecomprises a bar or body member 3, which is intended to extend beneath a rail from one side to the other thereof, preferably in substantially fiat contact with its base, and is provided at one end with a cl'amping head 0r jaw4 for engaging around oneside edge of the rail base.

' v'ersely of the bar 3 The head 4 is disposed transand has one end preferably projected beyond the bar, as shown.

A spring bar 5 extends from the projected end of the head 4 in the general direction of projection of the body member 3 from such head, and is of sufficient length to adapt it to extend from one side to the other of a rail base beneath the same, and has its free end terminating ina jaw or head 6 for clamping a rail base in opposition to the head 4, as shown in Fig. 2. The bar 5 is preferably but not necessarily integrally connected at its inner end to the head 4, and is provided intermediate its ends with one or more loops 7, or is otherwise suitably formed, to adapt it to have yielding lengthening movements relative to the body member 3 and head 4 to facilitate a springing of one or the other of the clamping heads 4 and 6 into or out of engagement with a rail base when the other clamping head is engaged with the opposite edge of the base, and also to adapt its free end to have lateral yielding movements relative to the body member 3.

The clamping head 6 projects toward the free end portion of the body 3, and has its outer side, longitudinally tapered and notched in stepped form, as indicated at 8,

the taper being such as to retract the head from its outer end inwardly. The free end of the body member 3 is. provided with a hook part 9, which is adapted to extend around the notched surface S of the clamping head 6 and to cooperate with one of the notches thereof to retain the head 6 infirm clamping engagement with the edge of the rail base when pressure is applied against the outer side of the thrust arm 10, which arm projects from the outer side of the head 4 and is adapted to abut at its outer end against the adjacent side of the tie 1.

The concaved or. inner side of the hook 9 is of sufficient depth relative to the point thereof to permit the enlarged or tapered portion of the head '6 to be sprung outwardly therein sufficiently to release such head from engagement with the rail base when the free end of the spring bar 5 is sprung inwardly adjacent to the bar 3. The hook 9 thus serves not only to draw the head 6 into clamping engagement with the rail base, but also to limit the outward springing movements of the head 6 relative engagement with outward projecting of the abutment 10 from to the head 4 soas to prevent'a possibility of V the spring bar 5 being broken in two upon too great an outward springing or lengthening of the same, which might occur with careless workmen. p

In the use of this device it is engaged with the base of a rail at the near side of, the tie in the direction of creeping action of the rail, in position for the abutment 10 of the head 4 to have contact with the tie side,-whereby a creeping movement ofthe rail will cause theengaged end'of a tie to have corresponding movement therewith. In applying one of my devices to a rail, it is placed under the base thereof with the head 4 in engagement with one side edge of the base, and the clamping head 6 is then sprung outward a sufficient extent to enable it to be engaged around the opposite edge of the rail base. The contractile action of the spring connection between the clamping heads 4 and 6 is sufficient to normally retain such'heads in yielding clamping'engagement with-the rail base, and at the same time is adapted to'permit a yielding movement of the body bar 3 longitudinally of the rail relative to the spring bar 5.

In placing a device in engagement with a rail,-the-abutment =10 should be placed in contact with the side of a tie toward which 'the'rail may have a tendencyto creep, as shown in Fig. 1. Upon a creeping action of the rail the abutment 10 has-its thrust against the tie so that the tie opposes a creeping movement of such bar, thus tend ing to force the end of the head 4 from which the spring bar 5 projects in clamping the rail base due to the the outer side of the head 4. I In 'other words,

the body bar 8, head 4 and thrust arm or abutment 10 act as a lever with the end portion of the head adjacent to the'spring' bar fulcruming against the rail base.

The movement which is imparted to the head 4 upon the application of pressure to the outer end of the thrust arm 10 causes'a drawing of the body member or bar 3 transversely of the rail base and causes its hooked end to act against the clamping head 6 to hold it in firm'rail clamping position in opposition to the head 4 so that any further creeping action of the rail will be positively communicated to the tie;

For the purpose ofdurability and cheapness of construction it ispreferable to cast my improved device in a single piece from malleable iron, as such metal is sufiiciently yieldable in its nature to' permit ofa' relative yielding action of the clamping heads and also of the bars 3 and 5.

It will be understood, however, that the invention is not limited to the use of any the device in a single integral piece or in the particular form shown,fex cept:in so far as such limitations are specified in the claims. 7 v v 7 Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Let 2. A device of the class described having a plurality ofyieldingly connected 'cross- 7 rail base clamping parts carried by I 7 said bars and a thrust-member projecting from theconnected end portions of said bars and operable upon an: applicationof pressure .thereto an engaged rail base. f 3. Aidevice of the class describedhaving n one direction. :to V

longitudinally move one of saldbars to 'e ffect a clamplng action of saldqparts against opposed yieldingly connected rail clamping:

parts, a body memberprojecting from one of sand parts transversely" of a rail and having its free end shaped-and positioned to have engagementwith the outer sidefof the other of sald clamping parts to-cause it to have' a rigid rail clamping action' when f said body m'ember. ismoved in one direction transversely of a rail, and a thrustsarm aprosaid body member 'proj ects and movable. by

pressure thereon in one direction lengthwise of a rail to impartpart clamping wmovements to said member.

4. A device of the class described a body member projecting transversely direction of projection of saidbody member and having a part for yieldingly clamping a rail base in opposition to said first part, and means movable by'tie thrust action to I jecting-from the clamping part from which under a'rail base, said body member having i one end hooked and :itsfree end provided with a rail base clamping part, a spring member:projectingfrom said part in: the.

move-said body memberrtransversely of. a

on the clamping part of said spring .bar to hold it-in firm rail clamping position.

5. A device of the class described having a lever member extending under 'a rail base 'andadapted to havethrust contact with .a side of a tie at one side ofa rail base,.said

memberzhaving a part adjacent to its tie rail base. in opposition to saidpart and caused tobe heldinfirm raillbase clamping position when pressure is applied in one railand to cause its hooked 1 endato act direction on the tie abutting end of said member.

6. A device of the class described having a lever member extending under a rail base and adapted to have thrust contact with a side of a tie at one side of a rail base, said member having a part adjacent to its tie abutting end for engaging an edge of a rail base and'having its opposite end angled and an element yieldingly connected to said part and caused to be held in firm rail base clamping position When pressure is applied in one direction on the tie abutting end of said member. V

7. A device of the class described comprising yieldingly-connected opposing rail base clamping parts, a bar projectingfrom one of said parts and having its free end in adjustable engagement With the outer side of the other of said parts and a thrust member projecting from the part from which said bar projects and caused to exert a draft action on said bar to move said parts into firm rail clamping engagement when pressure is applied in one direction on said member.

8. A device of the class described having a pair of yieldingly-connected opposed rail base clamping parts, and means for limiting the relative outward springing movements of said parts and operable to cause said parts to have firm rail clamping engagement When pressure is exerted on a portion of said means.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto signed my name to this specification, in the presence of tWo subscribing Witnesses.

JOSEPH M. VAIL.

Witnesses:

CARRIE G. HAenRrY, ST. L. GEBHARD.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

' Washington, D. 0. 

